If you have read my post all about Barcelona, then you may have been expecting this one. This post is all about the rest of my Summer 2016 holiday, which was of course in Santorini. The day after getting back from Barcelona, we had the privilege of jetting off to the beautiful island as part of a wedding. We had the most amazing time in the most beautiful place, and being a part of the wedding made it all the more special. We visited Santorini for one week, with the wedding falling about half-way through. We did quite a lot whilst there considering it was a relaxing holiday, most of which had kindly been arranged by the Bride & Groom. I am going to share with you what I got up to whilst in Santorini, providing recommendations along the way. As it is such a picturesque place I want to include lots of imagery for you. I must apologise in advance if this post leaves you feeling like you want to book a holiday to Santorini immediately... If that is the case, you won't regret it!
The Hotel
We stayed in the beautiful town of Fira, which is the most popular and busy area on the island. Our hotel was called 'Theoxenia', which was tucked away above some shops down the lovely pebbled streets. It boasted an amazing view of the volcano from the roof terrace where we found ourselves most evenings and for breakfast in the morning. It is a boutique hotel that fitted in perfectly with the environment, I would usually go for a more modern hotel, however this one seemed just right for where we were. We could not have faulted it with its amazing location, lovely breakfast and incredible service.
Whilst staying at the Theoxenia we had full access to their sister hotel 'Aressana', which was stunning and definitely a more modern hotel. We were therefore able to use the pool here, as our small boutique hotel could not accommodate one. But this was no problem as we got to spend our days in the most beautiful hotel and it was only a two minute walk from where we were actually staying.
Food & Drink
We were introduced to the lovely Vlounge bar on our first night as it was more or less opposite our hotel. At first we went there for convenience just for a few cocktails, little did we know it would become our favourite and we would spend pretty much every evening there! The bar boasts amazing views (of course), and the most amazing cocktails. It's the perfect place to spend an evening.
One night we ate at a restaurant called Volcano Blue, which was a classic Greek/Mediterranean restaurant. The restaurant had been hired out just for the wedding party which was lovely, so we got the pleasure of watching the sunset from the upstairs seating area. The food was lovely, if you want that classic Greek experience then you will get that here.
This is PK Cocktail Bar, a lovely place to sit and take in the view. We actually visited this bar in the daytime, as it is such a small area it always tended to look particularly busy in the evenings. However, you can book online (click on the name) which I would recommend doing. I loved that the menu was quite different here, not just your typical cocktails.
One night we visited a restaurant called Sphinx. It was a really lovely restaurant (which was reflected in the prices), but I have to admit we did have a lovely meal there. Potentially the best steak I've ever had! It was a lovely meal setting, with the most fabulous view (obviously). Honestly I'm not sure there's anywhere on the island that you wouldn't see an amazing sunset. It was definitely a more posh restaurant, so it's a good one to dress up for. It was the perfect place to go for dinner with the bride the night before the wedding.
Activities
To be honest we spent most of our days lounging around the pool and just generally relaxing. We would often go for a walk around the lovely cobbled streets of Fira, taking a look in the shops and grabbing some lunch. But other than that we kept it pretty chilled. The one particularly exciting thing we did do and absolutely loved, was Quad Biking. I could not recommend doing this any more! It was so much fun, we went out in a group of six and rode around the island visiting some black beaches, little villages and anywhere that really took our fancy. It was an amazing way to really see the island and how beautiful it truly is. We rented our quad bikes from a shop a couple doors down from our hotel for the whole day. I can't remember the name of the company but there are plenty around the area. If you visit Santorini this is something you have to do!
The Wedding
The wedding took place at the most incredible location, a beautiful hotel called Rocabella in the Imerovigli area. The setting and whole day was absolutely perfect. The views from here were breathtaking and we got to experience such an amazing sunset. If I was to ever go back to Santorini, this is definitely somewhere I would love to stay.
A few more photos...
We had a lovely time in Santorini, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quiet, relaxing holiday. However, there are still some exciting things to do there. The one place on the island we didn't get the chance to visit was Oia, as it is right on the other side. It looked like a beautiful area and is definitely one for anyone who loves taking a good photo! If I were to go back to Santorini, I would love to stay there. The only tip I can really give you is to watch out for the days that lots of cruise ships are docking, as this means there are thousands of people around Fira. So maybe save your days of walking around the cobbled streets and exploring the shops for when the cruise ships aren't around.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about my trip. If you haven't read my post on Barcelona and would like to, you can find it under the travel section.
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